


Acoustics

by thecutestprince



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7458145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecutestprince/pseuds/thecutestprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kwan snorted. “You look fine! God, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on this guy.”<br/>Dash gave no comment. He only gave a blank stare before walking past him.<br/>“See you tomorrow, Kwan.”<br/>Kwan watched Dash leave the locker room. He was rolling his shoulders like he did when he was nervous.<br/>‘Damn,’ Kwan thought. Of course his idiot friend had a crush on that ghost kid! God, he should’ve caught that much sooner.</p><p>-<br/>When Danny isn't fighting ghosts, he's playing guitar at a local cafe. Dash makes sure to be at every single show.</p><p>(This is going to have song lyrics from songs I like, and it's going to be 100% cheesy and dorky and ridiculous. I promise you all of these things)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ranichu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ranichu/gifts).



The sharp noise of a whistle blew through the football field. The football players, hard at work, jolted to a stop. They turned their bodies in an almost synchronized manner to face their coach.

“Nice work today,” his voice boomed. These words allowed the group to momentarily catch a relieved breath. It wasn’t time to relax just yet, though. They listened to the rest of his words, a mix of critique and encouragement. Afterwards, the magic words were said.

“Hit the showers!”

The players cheered in agreement before rushing to the locker rooms. But if anyone was eager to shower, it was Dash Baxter.

Dash ran past everyone else in order to reach the lockers first. However, his running came off as a challenge to the rest of the team, and they, too, broke into a sprint. Dash was able to slip into the locker rooms the very second before the team slammed into the doorway.

He ignored the loud uproar and marched to his locker. He tossed his dirty clothes, grabbed his towels, and headed for the still empty showers. The rest of the team finally piled into the locker room as the warm water ran down his back.

Dash walked down the crowded showers with a towel around his waist, and the other he used to dry his hair. He sat on the bench in front of his locker and continued to dry his hair.  Kwan sat next to him just as he was pulling out a pair of boxers from his locker.

“What’s the rush?” Kwan asked, giving his friend a knowing smirk.

“Nothin’,” Dash responded casually. “I’ve just… got plans.”

“Right, right. Gonna go see your boy band crush?”

“He’s not in a boy band,” Dash snapped at him, now pulling on a pair of jeans. “Whatever, you don’t care.”

“Aw, hey, I _totally_ care. I _might_ care more if you let me go sometime-“

“Not happening.”

Kwan sighed in defeat. He gave up this fight easily; Dash’s weird obsession with that ghost kid was something he wouldn’t be able to relate too.

Once Dash was done changing, he ran his hand through his hair one last time and turned to look at Kwan. “How do I look?”

Kwan snorted. “You look fine! God, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on this guy.”

Dash gave no comment. He only gave a blank stare before walking past him.

“See you tomorrow, Kwan.”

Kwan watched Dash leave the locker room. He was rolling his shoulders like he did when he was nervous.

‘Damn,’ Kwan thought. Of course his idiot friend had a crush on that ghost kid! God, he should’ve caught that _much_ sooner.

 

It was muscle memory, by that point, for Dash to get to the tiny coffee shop on the southern end of town. Amity Park had plenty of Starbucks’ and other pricier coffee shops, so Bookmark Café had very low traffic. However, the café could not get any busier whenever Danny Phantom played. Dash immediately caught sight of the chalkboard stand next to the coffee shop’s door. Seeing the white chalk design of Phantom’s signature logo, DP, made Dash’s chest swell. It was almost embarrassing.

Dash walked into the café. As he expected, there was not a seat in sight, and many people were forced to stand around the stage. Dash took his place near the middle of the crowd and waited, darting his eyes around the café. He snuck his hands into his pockets, but they eventually found his phone, instead. He checked his feed for any updates on the show tonight. He favorited posts talking of their excitement for the show. He didn’t feel like making his own post.

Ever since the amount of ghost sightings had lowered, Danny Phantom hardly had any ghost fighting to do. The town’s hero had done his job well; hauntings went from weekly, to biweekly, to monthly. Since the ghost kid had so much down time, he started playing guitar around town and then, eventually, at coffee shops. Danny seemed to favor Bookmark Café, the coffee shop and book store combination café, and so he played very frequently there. And Dash made sure to make it to every show.

The first show he’d gone to was by chance. He needed a book for his English class, and he heard Bookmark Café had the book for quite cheap. He stopped by to buy it, and wound up showing up in the middle of one of Phantom’s shows.

Dash was immediately smitten.

Claps erupted around him. Dash shot his head up and caught sight of the stage, of the guy on stage. Danny Phantom.

“Uh, hi.”

Oh god. Dash’s stomach was in knots. A huge grin found its way to his face; he was so flustered, he was grinning nervously.

Danny Phantom sat down on a wooden stool with a guitar on his lap, and a microphone near his face. The microphone was a bit lower than it should have been, though; one of the waiters was quick to rush up stage and fix it for him.

“Thanks,” Danny said, smiling at the waiter. He began to strum his guitar slowly, testing the strings, tuning it as needed.

Phantom turned his attention back to the crowd. He gave them all a sheepish grin. Dash was mesmerized by the unnatural glow of his eyes.

“Hello, everyone!”

The crowd politely clapped in response, and a few brave souls returned his hello. Dash was too tense to do either.

“Thank you all for coming! Seriously, you’re all so great. Alright, I’m gonna play some songs now. That’s what you’re here for, right?”

A few more polite claps were his response. They immediately died away, though, when Danny played the first chord.

_I’ve got troubled thoughts_  
And a self-esteem to match  
What a catch  
What a catch

Danny Phantom’s soft, near-angelic voice hummed from the small stereo and throughout the quiet coffee shop. Dash watched the singer with steady, concentrated eyes.

_You’ll never catch us_  
So just let me be  
Said I’ll be fine till the hospital  
Or American Embassy

Every time Phantom breathed into the mic, a shiver went down Dash’s spine. He was so caught up in the singer’s breathing, he might have forgotten about his own.

_Miss Flack said I still want you back  
Yeah, Miss Flack said I still want you back_

His singing melted into the chorus he’d opened with, fingers working in a familiar pattern.

Dash began to fidget his fingers. Phantom looked so _perfect_ up there. Most of the lights in the café were dimmed, and the brightest lights shone down on the ghost kid, making his skin appear as if it was glowing with life. Shadows cupped his chin and jaw line; his face looked stronger, more adult. His eyes were half-lidded, staring at his mic rather than the crowd. His fingers worked easily on the guitar, sliding up and down the neck, plucking and strumming with skill.

_They say the captain goes down with the ship_  
So, when the world ends  
Will God go down with it?

Danny Phantom was in his element, an element besides ghost fighting. When he was ghost fighting, he looked strong, brave, and infinitely out-of-this-world. But when he was sitting there, on an ordinary wooden stool of the ordinary Bookmark Café, strumming and singing and humming into the microphone, he looked just as strong and brave and out-of-this-world. But on top of it all, he looked serenely human.

Danny melted into song after song, and Dash listened to each and every one of them. As the crowd began to thin out, Dash was able to make his way towards the front of the crowd, until he was just a few feet away from Phantom. He didn’t want to stand too close, but he could feel himself inching closer and closer with each lyric.

That night, Danny’s set lasted about 30 or so minutes. After the final strum of his guitar, the crowd of people clapped generously as Danny said his goodbyes.

“Thank you all for coming. I’ll see you folks soon, alright?”

The applauds eventually faded, and the crowd began to dissipate. Dash, however, was unable to move; his feet were firmly planted on the ground, unable to move away from his place near Phantom.

He wanted to talk to him. God, he really wanted to talk to him. He’d never had the courage to, even after all of these weeks of attending his shows, and all of these years of Phantom saving his hometown. Dash hadn’t even uttered a single ‘thank you.’ That probably wasn’t appropriate now, though, was it? No, he shouldn’t treat Danny like some huge hero. He probably just wanted to be treated like anyone else.

Fuck, he’d been standing there for quite a while. He was probably starting to look _really_ creepy. Again, he was overwhelmed with a desire to talk to him, to speak to Phantom, but say what, exactly? What could he possible say to him without sounding like a complete lovestruck idiot?

Dash bit his lip. If he didn’t say anything now, he’d regret it later. The lost chance would eat away at him, impairing his sleep. He had to say something, definitely.

“H-hey.” Danny Phantom looked away from his guitar and up at Dash. Dash almost choked on his own spit.

Something flickered in Danny’s glowing green eyes. Surprise, maybe? Whatever it was, it was gone quick, and replaced with intrigue. “Yeah?”

Shit. Dash didn’t think he’d get this far. Oh man.

Dash’s eyes went to the wire connected to Danny’s guitar, to his case and his amp. Bingo.

“Do you need help packing up?”

Danny blinked at him. “Oh, right. Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Dash managed to squeeze out of his now tight throat. He stepped forward and began to help Danny pack up all of his things. It wasn’t a difficult task, really, but it was a task that involved them both in a closer vicinity. Dash was in absolute bliss.

When Dash helped wrap up the last of the chords, his mind raced, looking for another excuse to prolong his time with Phantom. Well, they were at a café, right?

Dash offered the chord to Danny, who accepted it and, in the process, grazed a finger against Dash’s. He almost puked. “Hey, can I buy you a drink?”

Danny raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, n-no, I meant, like, coffee, you know? Do you, uh, do you like coffee?”

Danny chuckled and he quickly covered his mouth. “Yeah, I like coffee.”

“Cool,” Dash said. “Okay, nice. Can I-“

“Sure, Dash, you can buy me coffee.”

Dash blinked in surprise. Hearing his name said by Danny Phantom had his stomach in knots, but he was slightly confused. “How do you know my name?” he asked.

Danny seemed unfazed. “How could I _not_ know your name, Dash? You’ve been to every one of my shows. The least I could do is learn your name, right?”

Dash could feel how uncomfortably warm his face was. “Right,” he agreed. Maybe he’d order an iced coffee for himself.

Dash lead Phantom to an empty table, and a waiter was immediately by their side. He took their orders, and was back with their drinks in literally seconds.

“We should hang out more often,” Dash said.

Danny took a small sip of his coffee. “Why’s that?”

“I’ve never gotten such fast service.”

Danny chuckled again. And Dash realized his calling. It was to make Danny Phantom laugh as much as he could, at least for that night.

 

“You go to Amity High, right?”

“Yeah. I play for the football team there, too.”

Danny smirked, leaning back against his chair. “I know. I’ve watched you play before.”

Dash’s face was hot once again. And he was out of iced coffee. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. You’re amazing, Dash Baxter. How much do you bench?”

Dash swallowed. “A-A lot, I think. I mean, not as much as you!”

Danny laughed. “Oh puh-lease, Dash. You’re ripped, dude. And I’m lanky as hell.”

“Hey, you’re pretty toned, honestly.”

Danny smirked. “So, you’re looking?”

‘Jesus Christ.’ How the hell was he supposed to keep up with a guy like him?

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Danny said, running a hand up and down his arm. “Ghost fighting is enough of a work out.”

Dash’s eyes fell on the curve of Danny’s arms, then to his green eyes. “You’re amazing.”

“Hmm?” Danny hummed, confused, yet unfazed.

“Fuck, I mean, you’re amazing at ghost hunting and all that junk.”

“No, yeah, all that junk? Definitely.”

“You know what I mean!” Dash whined, crossing his arms. Danny laughed at the response. The edges of Dash’s mouth twitched upward.

Danny’s eyes flickered towards the clock on the wall. “Hey, it’s getting late.”

Dash followed Danny’s gaze. It was nearing 10 p.m. “Shit, you’re right,” Dash said, standing from his seat. “I really should go.”

Dash noticed that Phantom was standing as well. A quick list of possible good-bye’s flashed through Dash’s mind. Should he shake his hand? Hug him? No, definitely not…

“I’ll walk you home.”

Dash stared at Phantom in disbelief. “What? No, uh, you don’t have to go to that trouble-“

“Hey, its fine, I want to,” Danny said, smiling warmly at him. “Isn’t it appropriate to walk your date home, anyways?”

Date.

Date.

_D a t e._

Dash was dumbfounded. He had zero words at his disposal. He could not speak.

But he should probably say something, so he managed to say, “Okay. That sounds good.”

 

The two of them walked out of the café together, and Dash could’ve sworn that, as they left, every pair of eyes fell on them. Part of him felt embarrassed, but the other part of him was, of course, ridiculously happy. Danny Phantom was walking _him,_ Dash Baxter, home. He was walking him home after having called him his date. Things couldn’t be better.

Dash didn’t want to make any moves, though. He didn’t want to reach over and grab his hand. Well, he definitely did want to, but he knew he shouldn’t. He didn’t have that kind of confidence around Danny just yet.

Danny Phantom, however, seemed to exude confidence. All of his responses were smooth, no sign of nervousness anywhere. It was like he knew the situation they were in, or any situation he’d get caught in, was totally under his control. He could direct their conversations anywhere he wanted them to go, and he didn’t seem remotely aware that he was doing it.

“So, do you go to Bookmark Café after your football practices?”

Dash glanced over at Danny. Their steps were almost in synch. Dash slowed so they would be. He wondered why Danny wasn’t floating next to him, instead of walking.

“Yeah,” Dash responded. “Well, only when you play.”

“You know when I play?”

Dash hummed. “You only ever play on Fridays,” Dash said. Phantom smirked, impressed.

“I guess I’ll have to mix it up sometime, huh? I’ll play on a Wedensday next time.”

“I’ll keep an eye out, then.”

They continued the banter as they walked to Dash’s house, their arms often brushing up against each other. Every time Dash felt the fabric of Danny’s suit momentarily brush against his bare arm, his stomach tightened further and further into knots.

The two boys finally arrived at Dash’s house. They stopped in front of the walkway which lead to Dash’s front steps.

The earlier list of goodbye’s flashed through Dash’s mind again. He was so panicked, he was unable to notice the awkward silence the two were falling into.

Dash wanted them to hang out like this again.

He could simply say that.

“We should do this again,” Dash said, eyes darting around Danny’s face in search of any sign of disgust. All he found was a huge grin on Danny’s face.

“Like a date, right?”

Dash’s heart was pounding too quickly. It was annoying. “Yeah, like a date.”

“When?”

“Your next show.”

“What’ll we do?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Danny smirked. He liked that response. Dash was ecstatic.

“That sounds good,” Phantom agreed. He took a step back and, suddenly, his legs were gone, replaced by a transparent tail of mist. Dash tried extremely hard not to stare.

“I’ll see you later, Dash.”

Phantom turned and shot upwards, into the dark of the sky. Dash kept his eyes on the white of his hair and suit, but the ghost boy eventually disappeared entirely. Dash was left to stare at the stars in the night sky.

Wait.

Was he supposed to see him Wednesday, or Friday?

Shit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am back, with another DannyxDash fic.  
> This lovely fic could not have been a possibility if not for my pal, ao3 user Ranichu, and their genius plot bunny. Thanks again for letting me write it!  
> Anyways, this fic has, like, 10% of an outline. Seriously, I have no idea where I'm going with this. So you've been warned! Hopefully Ranichu and I will come up with enough of an outline to finish this thing.  
> Anyways, what do ya'll think? Let me know! And thanks for reading (^: (and for anyone who's here because of prom king, thanks for sticking with me!)


	2. Chapter 2

“You did _what?!_ ”

Danny Fenton cowered and shrunk into himself, backing up harder against the couch. Sam stood up from her seat on her bed, eyes wide and mouth gaping open.

Off to the side of the room was Tucker, curled up in a purple bean bag chair, laughing his ass off.  

Danny eyes went back to Sam, who was still staring at him in disbelief. Right. She was probably waiting for an answer.

“I… I asked Dash out on a date.”

“How?" Sam asked, exasperated. " _How_ did this _happen?!_ ”

“I don’t know!” Danny whined, hiding his face behind his hands. “He was just there and asked to buy me coffee so I said fine, but then I called it a date, and then I basically asked him out to _another_ date…” Danny groaned and let his head fall back.

“I can’t believe you asked him out,” Tucker said. “Where’d you get the guts?”

“That’s the thing,” Danny said, sighing. “I didn’t ask him out. Danny _Phantom_ did.”

“Wait, what?”

“Danny, what the fuck is going on, seriously?” Sam pinched at the bridge of her nose.

“The whole coffee thing, whatever. That was when I was performing at Bookmark. Y’know, as Danny Phantom.”

Everything seemed to make sense now. Sam’s confused, slightly angry look cleared, and it turned into that of maximum bewilderment.

“You went on a date with Dash as Danny Phantom?”

“Yes,” Danny confirmed. “Yeah, I did.”

“Danny!” Sam exclaimed. “What if… what if he finds out?”

“He won’t, he won’t.”

“I know you’re used to living this double life, dude, but this is kind of taking it too far,” Tucker said.

“Yeah, Danny. Juggling this has got to be hard.”

“I know,” Danny said. “I know, I know. I shouldn’t have even asked the guy out in the first place. But, I don’t know, it’s just… being Phantom gives me this huge boost of confidence, y’know? I don’t even know what came over me, I’m sorry.”

“Well,” Sam exhaled, sitting back down onto her bed, “what are you going to do?”

Danny’s gaze shifted between his two friends. He had already thought over everything, of what had happened and what he’d do about it, throughout the entire flight to Sam’s house. The right thing to do was to just end things there, but…

Danny groaned and let his head fall back once more.

“You don’t want to leave it, huh?” Tucker asked.

“You know me so well,” Danny muttered.

“Just tell him you two shouldn’t be… dating. Y’know, because you’re a ghost and he’s not.” Tucker’s face lit up, as if he’d just thought of the most brilliant solution. “Your ghost parents don’t approve!”

Sam and Danny both rolled their eyes simultaneously.

Sam pressed her hands against the sheet on her bed. She stared at Danny for a while, until the gaze became too intense that he had to say something.

“Why are you staring at me that way?”

“Well, Danny… Do you really like Dash?”

Danny bit his lip. “I dunno. I guess I might.”

“But what if he doesn’t like you?”

“I mean, judging by tonight-“

“No, I mean, what if he doesn’t like _you_. Danny Fenton.”

Danny fell silent. Sam was right, wasn’t she? Dash was completely infatuated with Danny _Phantom_ , who often times felt completely separate from Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom, a ghost fighting hero whose smooth voice stole Dash’s heart the second he heard it. Danny Phantom, this suave, cunning, un-dork-like guy who made it through an entire date without spilling hot coffee all over his, or his date’s, lap. Dash sees Phantom and he’s smitten. Dash sees _Fenton_ and he’s… uninterested.

Sam glanced over at Tucker, who shook his head. “Danny,” she began, standing to sit next to him, “Danny, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I just… I don’t want you to get involved in something that’ll hurt you. This could just get too complicated too fast.” Sam placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“No,” Danny said, “no, you’re right. You’re right, Sam. I’ll try not to let this escalate.”

Sam smiled warmly. “Good.”

“And hey, you never know,” Tucker said, standing from his seat on the bean bag, “he might end up liking you, too.”

Danny scoffed. “Right, that’ll happen.”

The idea didn’t sound too bad. But it also sounded like wishful thinking.

Danny realized both of his friends were looking at him with an odd sadness in their eyes. He found himself wishing for a distraction.

A low noise, that of a siren, rang throughout the room. Tucker immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out a vibrating PDA. The screen was lighting up frantically, and the siren noise was only getting louder.

“What is it?” Danny asked, quickly standing up. His hands were in fists; his mind was already in ghost-fighting mode.

“Car crash on Irvington. Ghost related for sure.”

Sam stood up, reaching for her purse. “We should-“

“I’ll handle it,” Danny said, cutting her off. Sam and Tucker looked at him with those worried eyes again. Danny repeated firmly, “I can handle it. You guys can stay here and… continue watching Ghostbusters or whatever.”

“It’s a good movie!” Tucker said in defense.

“Tucker, we _are_ ghost busters! You don’t need to watch- whatever.” Danny shook his head and shifted into his phantom form. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Later,” his friends called out as Danny flew out of the room.

 

Danny clicked his thermos onto his belt. He checked his phone for the time. It had only taken him ten minutes to take care of everything. The ghost, the ectoplasmic residue littering the streets, everything all cleaned up. The car crash itself was minor, and a tow truck and ambulance had already arrived. Everything was taken care of.

Danny dusted off his hands and began to head home. He didn’t feel like hanging out with Sam and Tucker tonight; they hadn’t exactly been very supportive of him. Who would blame them, though? Danny was well aware that everything about his situation was completely ridiculous. Who would ever agree that going out with Dash would be good for him?

Danny was nearing his house, but he flew past it. He instead headed towards a small park a few streets away. Being nearly 12 am, the park was abandoned, and so he felt no need to switch back to Fenton. He gently floated to a small water fountain. He sat on its edge and examined the pennies and dimes littering the fountain’s floor.

Sam and Tucker were right to be concerned. Nothing about this, about him dating Dash, seemed like a good idea. Danny Phantom would date Dash, while Danny Fenton would avoid him. He would have to be careful with what he said, because any small detail could reveal his identity. He already had to worry about keeping his secret from all of Amity Park. Now, he’d have to keep a secret from all of Amity Park, as well as someone he was getting dangerously close to.

And then there was the way Dash treated him as Fenton. How uninterested and annoyed, even, that he was by Danny Fenton. How he would steer clear of him in the hallways, in class. How he used to bully him.

He couldn’t just forgive him for making the first half of his high school career miserable. He couldn’t let all of that go, just because they clicked so well.

Danny dipped his fingers in the fountain’s cool water. He didn’t want to think about that. There were other things to worry about.

The truth was, Danny couldn’t leave it alone. Danny desperately wanted to see Dash again, as Phantom, and see where things went. He couldn’t just ignore how nice it felt to be there with him, to see him get all flustered by him. There was a definite connection there, and he didn’t want to pull away from it.

In fact, having a secret boyfriend sounded like fun! It definitely sounded like it was more fun than having a secret ghost-fighting alter ego. The latter held so many more responsibilities. Yeah, definitely not as fun.

Danny stood up and placed his hands on his hips, looking up at the top of the fountain and giving a determined smile. Everything would be fine. He would handle this on his own, and he wouldn’t tell Sam and Tucker, and everything would be fine.

So long as he ignored the remote possibility that things could most definitely go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's so short. Just tryna get this chapter outta the way so I can post another one (^;  
> Thank you to every single person who read and commented on the first chapter. Coming back to it and seeing all the comments and kudos is definitely a huge motivation booster. It'd be #sick if I could get a chapter out by the end of this week but.. y'kno.. no promises.  
> Again, thanks to all of your supportive words. Hope you like it thus far!!


	3. Chapter 3

Danny woke up Monday morning with a general feeling of dread in his stomach. This was as Monday mornings always go. The general feeling of dread, of course, was caused by school. School that started in less than an hour.

He should really get out of bed.

When he finally _did_ get out of bed, he only had thirty minutes to get ready and get to school. Thankfully, being a half-dead ghost boy had its quirks.

He took as long as he needed to; there was no point in rushing, since he could just fly to class in under five minutes. Getting ready didn’t take too long, either. The only thing causing him trouble was his binder sticking uncomfortably to his body, since he was still somewhat wet from his shower. But he wasn’t about to take ten minutes to take it off and put it back on, so he’d just have to deal with it.

The flight to school was, thankfully, uneventful. He made his way into a bathroom stall and switched from Phantom with a backpack to Fenton with a backpack. He slid out of the stall, and the one guy taking a piss didn’t notice he walked out without washing his hands.

As always, Sam and Tucker were waiting for him at his locker. He gave them a small grin. It was always great to see them there.

“Hey guys.”

“Hey Danny,” they both greeted him as he began to dig through his locker.

“Yo, Danny, guess what,” Tucker said.

“Hm?”

“Ms. Green is gonna make us submit a project to the Fall Science Fair.”

Danny slammed his locker shut and gave his friends a look of injustice. “What?!” How dare a high school teacher assign him to a project he wanted nothing to do with!

“It’s true, man. But hey, we can be partners!” Tucker chimed. Danny sighed, although the thought of working on something science-related with Tucker did sound like fun. They could get it done quickly, and the amount of goofing off they could do afterwards definitely sweetened the deal.

Sam frowned. “So, if I can convince Ms. Green to let me work with you guys even though we’re not in the same period…”

“Sam, this is an A-B conversation,” Tucker said, wrapping an arm around Danny.

“Yeah, Sam. _C_ yourself out,” Danny said, and he and Tucker marched forward. Sam let out an annoyed grunt before stomping after them.

“Well, if I can’t work with you guys, I’ll just make a better project.”

“Puh-lease, do you even know who you’re talking to?” Tucker asked.

“Uh, nerd man and boy won-nerd?” Sam snickered. She looked around the hallways and caught sight of Dash. Her smile faded as she recalled the conversation the three shared that past weekend.

She was so worried, especially with the way he’d left that night. She wanted to trust that Danny would end things with Dash before they started, but she couldn’t help but mull over the idea that he wouldn’t. It wasn’t just that she didn’t like Dash, but she didn’t like the idea of Danny around him, Phantom or not. In fact, the Phantom thing made it even more ridiculous. What if he found out? Worst case scenario, Danny’s secret would be out. Best case scenario, he’d keep his mouth shut and he’d have to join the group, and that was _still_ pretty bad!

Sam bit her lip. To put it simply, she didn’t want Danny to get hurt. In every scenario that she ran through her head, Danny got hurt, and it only unnerved her more and more.

“Danny,” she spoke lowly, glancing from Dash to Danny.

“What?” he asked, clueless.

“…Never mind,” she said. Why bring it up now?

 

Danny’s fifth period class began, Chemistry. And, just as Tucker had mentioned, their teacher immediately announced their science fair project.

“I’ve volunteered you all in this project. Now, in terms of your partners…”

Tucker reached over and poked at Danny’s ribs. Danny jolted and glared at his friend, who was busy giving him a suggestive eyebrow raise. Danny mouthed, “Stop.”

“Listen closely whilst I pair you up.”

“What!?”

The entire class turned to look at Tucker. He gave them all an incredulous look, hands still slapped against the top of his desk.

“We… we don’t get to choose?” Tucker asked in a much smaller voice than before.

“Nope,” the teacher responded. “That’s my privilege.”

Tucker threw his head back and groaned in agony. Danny rolled his eyes at him. Sure, he was bummed that they couldn’t be partners. But he wasn’t about to make a huge show out of it, either.

Their teacher proceeded to call out names, and students looked around in search of their respective partners. Students looked relieved, happy, and sometimes annoyed or disappointed. Upon hearing his partner's name, Danny Fenton, however, was a confusing mixture of both terrified and somehow excited.

“Daniel Fenton and Dash Baxter.”

Danny’s eyes widened. Tucker snapped out of his anguished groans to sit up and look over at Danny. Meanwhile, Dash Baxter still had his chin propped against his hand. He looked as indifferent and uninterested as ever. He definitely wasn’t excited about their temporary scientific partnership.

Meanwhile, Danny wasn’t sure what he felt. The tight knots in his stomach could be caused by anxiety, discomfort, tension… or maybe even excitement.

Shit.

After everyone was paired up, (including Tucker and Kwan, to Tucker’s dismay), each pairing had the rest of the class period to discuss project ideas. Meaning, Danny had to get up and sit next to Dash and _talk_ to Dash, and he had to do all of these things without screwing up.

There was way too much room for screwing up.

“Hey, Danny.” Danny broke out of his nervous haze and looked over at Tucker. “You good?” Tucker asked, a worried look on his face. That same worried look from the other night.

Danny scowled. Wiped all of the nervousness from his expression and hid it behind tight lips.

“I’m fine,” he responded. His eyes glanced over at Kwan. “Worry about your own jock.” With that, Danny stood from his desk and gathered all of his stuff. He put his journal and his binder in his arms, but then had to put them back down because he forgot to grab his bag first. Once his backpack was slung over his shoulder, he grabbed the rest of his stuff and walked over to Dash.

Dash didn’t even look over at him. He stared out the window; it was evident that he was trying to look as invested in the sky’s blue as possible. Anything to get him away from their current situation.

Danny felt as if he was standing in front of Dash for hours. He now realized the knots in his stomach were a warning. Yep, he really needed to puke.

“Should I, uh…” Even as Danny spoke, Dash didn’t flinch, or look towards him. “Where should I sit?”

Finally, Dash sighed, letting his arm drop as he leaned back against his seat. “Where ever, Fenton.”

Danny sat in the seat next to him.

“So, um… What do you wanna-“

“Look,” Dash said, turning to shoot him an annoyed glare. “The way I see it, we got a free period. So, let’s worry about this project bullshit later, yeah?”

Dash didn’t even wait for a response. He went back to staring out of the window. He went back to ignoring Danny.

“Sure,” Danny mumbled. He pulled out his journal to doodle, instead.

Things were not exactly going the way he’d want them to.

 

“I can’t believe I got paired up with _Kwan_ , dude. Kwan!”

Danny and Tucker were the last two in the classroom. Their teacher had left to the bathroom, and the rest of the class had already left for sixth period.

“Yeah dude. That sucks,” Danny responded, in a monotone voice that immediately ticked Tucker off.

“Whatever, you must be glad you got paired up with Baxter," Tucker sang, waggling his eyebrows towards his friend.

Danny flung his backpack over his shoulder and glared at Tucker. “He didn’t even _talk_ to me, dude. We got _nothing_ done.”

“Really?” Tucker asked. “Kwan and I already have a few ideas down. He’s coming over tonight, actually, so we can work on it already.”

Danny gave Tucker a blank stare. “Sounds great, Tuck,” he sighed before heading out of the class.

“Hey!” Tucker shouted as he caught up to Danny. “Hey, sorry, man, I’m sure Dash’ll lighten up after a while, right?”

The two turned the corner and immediately saw their respective partners, Dash and Kwan, by Kwan’s locker. Kwan gave Tucker a light smile. Dash immediately looked away.

“Yeah,” Danny sighed, trudging along. “Right.”

 

“So,” Kwan began, sitting next to Dash on the bench before their lockers, “any plans tonight?”

“No,” Dash responded, rubbing a towel against his wet hair. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Training had ended almost twenty minutes ago, but his body still felt both tense and full of energy. Hell, he could run another mile or two, if he hadn’t just showered.

“Really? No ghost boy tonight?”

“No, Kwan, no ghost boy,” Dash deadpanned. He opened his locker and pulled out a pair of clean clothes to change into. “What about you, huh? You coming over to my place?”

“Oh, nah, I can’t, remember? Gotta go to Tucker’s house, work on our science fair project.”

Dash let out a disgusted groan. “Right.” Even at the mention of the science project, he felt completely one-hundred percent unmotivated to do absolutely anything.

“You aren’t gonna work on it tonight with Danny?”

“Nope,” Dash responded as he pulled on his shirt. “Trust me, I want to spend as little time with that guy as possible. I mean, you understand, right? You’ve got Tucker to worry about.”

Kwan frowned “No, I don’t understand. I don’t think they’re as bad as you say they are.”

Dash sighed. “I’m not saying they’re bad, I just-“

“If you recall, _we_ ’ _re_ the ones who picked on _them_. Not the other way around. You have no reason to be giving Fenton the cold shoulder.”

Dash rolled his eyes. He pushed his locker shut and faced Kwan. “Look, I just don’t want to hang around him, okay? I don’t _have_ to like the guy. We’re just stuck with each other for a stupid project. I’m not required to make friends with him for the grade, alright?”

Kwan shrugged and stood from his seat. “Whatever, Dash. I think you’re making things more difficult than they needed to be.” He grabbed his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, turning to walk away. “I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Yeah. Text me when you get there.”

Kwan waved at him without turning around. “Will do,” he said as he turned and left for the door.

Dash returned to his seat on the bench and sighed, staring at his locker. How did Kwan know him so well? He could tell, right off the bat, that Dash was uncomfortable hanging around with Danny Fenton. And it wasn’t anything Fenton had done. He’d always been pretty tolerable, unless he was getting revenge.

No, rather, it was something _Dash_ had done. Everything Dash had done. He’d bullied Fenton for the better half of their high school years, and now that he’d matured a bit, he felt awful about it. He stopped bullying him and, instead, decided to steer clear of the guy. That worked well on his conscience, but now that he was forced to work on a project with him, he’d been reminded of all the awful things he did to Fenton.

When they were supposed to sit together during their chemistry class, Dash tried his best to ignore him. But he was trying to ignore the guilty feeling settling at the pit of his stomach, too. It bothered him all throughout the day, as well. It would only get worse, and he knew it. He still had a few weeks to deal with his feelings of guilt. He wasn’t sure what to do about it, but maybe asking to switch partners was a possibility.

Dash realized he was the only one left in the locker room. He stood up, grabbed his bag from his locker, and left the locker room, heading for his car. All the while, he began to think of what to say to his teacher tomorrow, and how he would ask to switch partners.

And the possibility of not being able to switch partners, of being stuck with Danny Fenton and his ability to fog his conscience, preoccupied his thoughts, as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for posting this at 9 pm on a Monday. I worked all day to day, will work all day tomorrow, and I figured posting it at 9 pm on a Monday is better than 9 pm on a Tuesday. If I don't get very many hits, I only have my job to blame.  
> Next chapter includes the anticipated Danny Phantom and Dash Baxter shenanigans, so I hope to post that soon!  
> Hmu on tumblr if you're down, I need more Danny phantom stuff on my dash.  
> Thank you for reading and for your continued support!!


	4. Chapter 4

Danny lay in bed, arms crossed behind his head, eyes fixed on a random part of the ceiling. His mind was heavily preoccupied with thoughts of Dash, though not exactly romantic ones.

 Dash hadn’t mentioned their project today, and he was starting to think that he’d have to work on it on his own. That meant coming up with an idea, and then making it a reality. Not only did this worry him, but his date with Dash as Phantom was tomorrow, as well. He was worried about how it would go, what song he should sing, what they should do after. Of course, he always worried about how shows would go, but this one in particular had his stomach in tight knots. This was no time for company; he wanted to be alone.

Tucker, however, did what he wanted. And so he came barging in.

“Hey Danny!” he exclaimed, shutting the door behind him. Danny groaned and sat up from his position on the bed.

“Tuck, what are you doing here? You didn’t even text me a heads up.”

“Uh, yeah I did.” He pointed at Danny’s phone, which was blinking a green light indicating an unread text. Danny unlocked his phone to read it.

Tucker: omw 2 ur house!!!!

“Oh. Well, what’s up? Sam couldn’t come?”

“Actually,” Tucker began, taking a seat on Danny’s bed, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Danny raised his eyebrows, surprised. What could Tucker want to talk about? Did he have something to say about him and Dash?

Tucker kicked off his shoes and dropped them off of the bed. He pointed at a pillow, which Danny tossed over to him. Tucker nervously hugged the pillow against him.

Danny gave Tucker a skeptical look. “Dude, what’s wrong?” He was acting weirder than usual.

“I… I made out with Kwan.”

Danny blinked. Tucker hid his nervous grin behind the pillow provided for him. All was uncomfortably silent.

“… What?”

“We made out!” Tucker exploded, receiving a mortified “shush!” from Danny. But he couldn’t help it! His stomach was still filled with butterflies, and he felt talking loudly would help guide them out.

“I went to his house to work on our project, and we already got pretty far on it because hey, we’re fucking nerds and we’re awesome, and so Kwan is like, ‘Hey Tucker, let’s watch a movie or something.’” The way Tucker lowered his voice for added effect had zero effect on Danny. He was still staring at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Tucker realized this, but he couldn’t stop talking or slow down or anything.

“And so we do, we choose a movie, and he has so many romantic comedies, man, it’s fucking ridiculous, anyways, we’re watching his shitty romcom and like, it’s funny but it’s not that funny? Anyways I’m not too focused on it, I’m more focused on how close Kwan is to me and I’m like, nah, nahhhh, it’s not like that, but it was, Danny, it _was_ like that! WE MADE OUT!”

“ _Tucker_!” Danny shouted. He launched forward and tackled him against the bed, pressing a pillow against his mouth. The pillow was a smart move, because Tucker decided screaming was the solution for releasing his nerves.

Danny kept Tucker pinned down until he calmed down. Once the screaming finally subsided, Danny said, “Okay. I’m going to let you go now. But you have to promise to stay calm, alright? Talk slowly, and stop screaming, yeah?”

Tucker said something, but the pillow muffled it out. It sounded like he agreed, though, so Danny took the pillow off of Tucker and sat back. Tucker sat up and fixed his glasses and sideways beanie. The two boys stared at each other.

Danny grabbed Tucker’s shoulders and shook him. “How did this happen!?”

Tucker grabbed Danny’s shoulders and shook him back. “I don’t know!”

“Okay, Tucker, what happened after you guys kissed?”

“Okay,” Tucker began. He dropped his hands from Danny’s shoulders, as did Danny, and resumed hugging onto a pillow for support. “He kissed me, and I didn’t know what to do, really, but then I was like, _fuck it_ , this feels right!”

“Oh my god.”

“Anyways, we make out for a while, and then I stop. I have to stop, because my brain is going, ‘You have to stop.’”

“But why’d you stop?” Danny asked.

 Tucker stared at him for a long while before swallowing, a hard task to do with such a dry mouth. But he did it, he swallowed, and he prepared himself for the reaction to what he was about to say.

“I got hard.”

Danny’s eyes grew wide, and he hid his mouth behind his hand. He couldn’t help it; his grin was beginning to turn into a wide smile, and soon, he was laughing nervously and his face was almost as red as Tucker’s. Almost.

“It’s not funny!”

“I know, I know!” Danny agreed, still laughing. “I just didn’t- didn’t know what else to do, so I started laughing, I’m sorry,” he said between laughter. He calmed down enough so that he was no longer laughing, though his face was still pretty red. “Holy shit, dude.”

“I know, fuck. I freaked out, but I didn’t let him see that, you know? I was freaking out because like, if kissing him makes me hard then, shit, I must like this guy, like, what the _fuck?_ When did _that_ happen?”

“Maybe not!” Danny said. “You guys were making out. The making out made you hard, not the making out with Kwan specifically. I’m sure if _we_ made out, you’d get hard.”

Tucker cringed. Danny followed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Danny agreed. He scooted back so he could lean his back against the headboard. When Tucker barged into his room, he expected to be annoyed. Instead, he was interested in Tucker’s story, if not disgusted. Tucker kissing someone? That hadn’t happened since the 7th grade!

“I told him I had to go, and so I left, and then I texted you, and then he texted _me_ , but I didn’t respond.”

“Whoa, wait, what’d he say?”

“I dunno,” Tucker responded anxiously. “I didn’t read it.”

Danny gave him a stern look. “Dude, read his message.”

“Alright, alright,” Tucker said, pulling out his phone. He pulled up the text and his face was serious for the moment. Danny squinted, trying to read the text through the reflection on Tucker’s glasses.

When Tucker’s face went from serious to embarrassed, Danny asked, “What did he say?”

“He asked if I’m alright,” Tucker mumbled. He sounded somewhat surprised, if not embarrassed.

“Let me see.”

Tucker handed Danny his phone, and Danny read the texts.

Kwan: Tucker, are you okay?

Kwan: Shit man I’m sorry if I freaked you out.

Kwan: If you want, we don’t have to be science partners anymore. Just let me know.

Danny handed him back his phone. “Dude, you gotta tell him you’re fine with it. I mean, are you fine with it?”

“I am,” Tucker said. “Isn’t that weird?”

“The fact that this even happened is weird to me, Tucker. I’m too used to you being single and alone.”

Tucker glared at him. “I’m texting him back.”

“Alright.” Danny shrugged. He watched as Tucker stared at his phone, clearly coming up with his words carefully.

A weird feeling invaded Danny’s chest. Because, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Tucker. He had a cooperative science fair partner whom he was getting things done with, and now they were making out? That is _exactly_ what Danny wanted from his own science fair project experience. A partner who would actually collaborate with him and also kiss him. Only if said partner is Dash, of course.

‘Whatever,’ Danny thought. Now wasn’t the time to be jealous. He had to be there for his friend, who was clearly not done freaking out.

Besides, if kissing Dash was what he wanted, his secret date tomorrow night may be able to solve the problem.

 

“Big date tonight, huh Dash?” Kwan teased. After having spent two hours in the weight room for practice, Dash went from sweaty mess to well dressed, from smelling like armpits to smelling like forty-dollar cologne.

“You’re one to talk,” Dash responded, giving Kwan a sly grin. Kwan could only return a sheepish smile.

“I’ll see you later, Kwan.”

“See ya!” Kwan called out after him.

Dash was heading to watch Phantom play, and Kwan was off to hang out with Tucker. He was no ghost boy, but that didn’t matter to Kwan. His night would be just as interesting.

Dash got into his car and immediately started it up. He fumbled around for the aux cord and plugged in his phone. Because he was on his way to hear Danny play, he pulled up a playlist consisting of bands he’s covered that Dash took a liking to. Before he heard Phantom play, he hardly really listened to music. Now he had a playlist full of bands and artists that he never would have found otherwise.

_I woke up in a stranger’s bed_  
With pins and needles in my head  
And the clock ticking off the wall  
Oh, yeah, oh, yeah

Dash drove silently while the song played in the background. Phantom had last played this song a few weeks back, before school had started.

_I don’t even know myself_  
I wish I could be someone else  
But I don’t have a clue at all  
Oh, yeah

Dash wondered if the songs he chose ever reflected how he was feeling at the moment. If that were the case, Danny could have been feeling lost, frustrated, even, as he waited for something interesting to happen. The summers had been particularly ghostless.

_I’m sinking_  
You’re wading  
I’m thinking something’s gotta give

Or maybe he just liked the song. Dash definitely liked it. Although, he liked it more when Danny sang it. It would be refreshing to hear his voice and his guitar playing this song after he hadn’t played it in so long.

The song ended, and Dash replayed it once more until he arrived at the café. As he drove past it, he saw the chalkboard sign out encouraging people to come in and try their new mango sunshine tea. Nothing about Danny was posted up, though. That might have been because he was pretty early, so he tried not to panic too much.

Dash parked behind the café and made his way inside, darting his eyes around for the off chance of catching a glimpse of Phantom. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. Dash took a seat at the tables closest to the stage area. A waitress came up to take his order.

“Water for now, thanks.”

Dash checked his phone relentlessly. When it was 5 minutes until Phantom’s usual gig time, Dash felt a cold touch on his shoulder.

“Hey,” Danny said, moving to sit across from him. A wave of relief hit Dash. Thank god, Danny actually _was_ playing tonight.

“Wow, you clean up well,” Danny said, smiling at him. Damn it, Dash was already blushing.

“Thanks,” he responded. “You, uh, you look nice, too.” Dash only said it to be kind, at first. But then he realized what he was wearing and, wow, he really did look nice.

He wasn’t wearing his signature outfit, the form fitting suit with his logo on the chest. He was instead wearing dark jeans and a white shirt, as well as a grey cardigan. Shit, he looked so cute in the cardigan. He looked so cute in general! Had he ever seen him in anything other than his suit?

“Hey, I was thinking, is there anything you’d want me to play?” Danny asked.

A song? Just for him? Holy shit.

“Oh, um…” Dash trailed off, thinking. He then smiled to himself and said, “Maybe ‘Something’s Gotta Give’?”

Danny’s face lit up. “Oh, I love that song! You like it?”

“Of course,” Dash replied. “I like anything you play. You have good taste.”

“You’re right, I do.”

“I was listening to the song earlier, actually, on my drive here.”

“And you want me to play it, even though you _just_ heard it?”

“Well, I want to hear _you_ play it,” Dash said. He tried not to get his words stuck in his throat. “I like it better when you play it.”

Did Danny Phantom blush? Maybe he didn’t, but Dash told himself he totally did.

Danny glanced back at the clock on the café’s wall. “Ah, almost time.” He turned around and gave Dash a warm look. “I’ll be right back.”

Dash could only nod as he watched Danny walk up to the stage, his guitar case propped against the stool he would sit on. As soon as he was up there, everyone was clapping politely for him. Dash hadn’t even realized that the crowd had grown larger since he’d gotten there. And there was no way this crowd didn’t witness them sitting together. Dash looked around, but didn’t see any familiar faces. This came as a relief.

“Hi.”

Dash’s eyes darted up when he heard Danny’s voice envelope the entire café. Everyone clapped again. Except Dash. He was too nervous; it was like, now that they were dating, he didn’t think clapping for him felt right.

They were dating, right?

“Thank you all for coming! Seriously, it means a lot. Okay.” Danny’s eyes flickered over towards Dash. “I’m gonna play a song now.”

Dash recognized the first few chords and couldn’t help but smile wide. Danny looked over to him and saw his goofy grin and couldn’t help but smile behind the microphone.

_Wake me up_  
Say enough is enough  
I’m dyin’ to live  
Something’s gotta give

_Pull me out_  
Of this sinkin’ town  
I’m dyin’ to live  
Something’s gotta give

Dash was mesmerized. He always was, sure, but tonight, more so than ever. And knowing that after this show, they’d leave together…

_Maybe I’m a fucking waste_  
Filling up the empty space  
I’ve been here way too long  
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Dash kept his eyes steadily on Danny. The thought struck his mind again. ‘Are we really dating?’ Should he ask him that? No, that would be too forward, too weird. Maybe, after tonight, things would be clearer.

He could ask him to come to his homecoming game. That was an idea. An idea that he now could not get out of his head. __  
  
I’m feeling like a nervous wreck  
Living on my last paycheck  
I’m a cliché in a song  
And everybody’s singing along

Danny sang, voice lovely, eyes flickering to Dash way too often. There was an obvious tension between them. He wanted this song to be the only song he had to sing that night, and then, they could leave together.

_I’m sinking_  
You’re wading  
I’m thinkin-

Danny stopped singing, stopped playing, stopped strumming. His eyes were wide, a confused look on his face. A visible breathe slipped from his lips.

“S-sorry, I…”

He let his guitar hang around his neck and fished for something in his pocket. It was then that Dash could hear the low buzz of a phone. Danny looked at the flashing screen. His expression turned grave.

“I gotta go. Stay away from downtown, alright?”

Like that, he was gone. He flew right through the ceiling, going intangible and out of sight. The audience murmured. Dash stared at the spot on the ceiling Danny had gone through and frowned. What was going on?

Well, at least he knew where he was headed. Dash stood and began to make for the door but stopped.

He rushed up to the stage and grabbed Danny’s guitar, slowly placing it in its case.

He spoke into the microphone. “I’ll get this to him.”

Thankfully, no one questioned him.

 

Danny flew as fast as he could, his heart caught in his throat. He would make it, he told himself. He had to.

The closer he got to the building, the more hectic things seemed. Traffic was stopped entirely, and many civilians were outside of their cars, staring up at the sky and pointing. Danny surveyed the area around the building. Police cars surrounded the entrance, one officer speaking loudly into his phone.

“Where the hell are they? We need a trampoline _now_!”

The crowd of civilians surrounding the building looked up with horrified expressions on their faces. The ghost was nothing new, but the child he held dangerously in one arm was what had everyone on their toes.

“Is he going to let go?”

“I hope not.”

“Look at the way he’s grabbing her!”

Danny assessed the situation. There was a man- a ghost floating near the top of a tall apartment complex. He held onto a girl’s arm, and it looked like her arm was about to fall out of its socket.

He didn’t know what to do. If he got near them, the ghost could let her go, or fly off with her. Maybe he could just talk to him.

Danny flew up steadily, making sure to be in the ghost’s line of sight. He didn’t want him to think he was sneaking up on him.

“Who are you?” the guy sneered, backing up a little. The movement made the girl in his arm scream and struggle.

“Calm down!” the ghost shouted. “You’re going to fall!”

“Hey,” Danny barked, holding his arms out. “Both of you, calm down.” He kept eye contact with the ghost. “Give her to me.”

“No!” the man roared, floating further away. “No, she’s mine!”

“Daddy let me go!”

“Let her go, please-“

“Daddy!” the girl shrieked, pushing at his arm with her spare hand. She fidgeted, trying to break free from the ghost’s grip.

“ _Quiet_!”

The energy around him was increasing, turning a thick, green color. The little girl couldn’t stop screaming, and Danny didn’t know what to do, but he had to do something.

In a burst of frustration, Danny shot the ghost in the chest with a quick blast of ectoplasmic energy. The man went flying back, falling back onto the roof of the apartment complex, and the girl went falling down.

Danny flew as fast as he could, trying to reach the girl before she reached the ground. But he wasn’t going to make it, and the fire truck wasn’t there yet, and god, he wasn’t going to make it.

He reached out towards her, and she stopped. She stayed, stuck in midair, still screaming her lungs out. When she realized she hadn’t hit the ground yet, she stopped. She looked at the ground, then at the ghost who had saved her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want to fall.

 Danny flew towards her and scooped her into his arms.

“Thank god,” Danny sighed, hugging the little girl against his chest. As he floated gently to the ground, people surrounding the complex, people leaning out of their windows, everyone was cheering for him, thanking him.

He drowned it all out. All he needed to hear was the little girl whispering, “Thank you,” over and over again.

 

It wasn’t hard to find the scene of the ghost fight. There were tons of people surrounding the complex, including news reporters and police officers speaking about the incident. The one person who should be speaking, Danny Phantom, was nowhere to be seen. Dash parked his car at the side of the road and stepped out, peering around the crowd.

“Hey.”

Dash turned around, catching sight of Danny. His clothes, his cute outfit, it was all torn up.

“Oh no,” Dash whispered, reaching out to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Danny responded, voice low. “Let’s just get out of here before someone tries to interview me.”

Dash drove away from the complex, as far away from it as he could. They both stayed silent for a while, a heavy silence. Since he didn’t know where else to go, Dash parked in front of his house, turned the car off, and rubbed at the steering wheel with his thumb.

“So,” Dash began, voice soft, “what happened?”

“There was a ghost attack,” Danny responded. “He was a, uh, he was a father. He lost custody of his daughter, so he… he went to go get her.”

“God,” Dash whispered. “That sounds awful. I’m sorry”

“He was just a bully,” Danny muttered, rubbing at his wrist. “They all are, you know? They’re all just bullies, awful people, awful ghosts…”

Dash stayed silent. He felt sick.

“Dash?”

“Huh? Sorry,” Dash responded, running a hand through his hair. “I was just… I was just thinking.”

Danny stared forward, biting at his lip. He hadn’t even realized what he’d said.

This date was a total disaster.

“I’m sorry about your clothes,” Dash said, motioning a hand towards Danny’s sleeves. The edges seemed burned off.

“Oh, I know,” Danny grumbled, peeling off his cardigan. His shirt was barely in a better state.

“It’s funny,” Dash said, “I was wondering earlier why you always wore your suit.”

“Now you know,” Danny laughed humorlessly. He still sounded pretty upset.

In an effort to cheer him up, Dash said, “It kinda sucks. You looked so cute.”

Danny stopped fumbling with his cardigan to look over at Dash.

“Really?”

“Of course,” Dash responded. “You have good taste.” Dash could very clearly see the green of his eyes.

Danny smiled wide. “Thanks,” he whispered, resting his head back on the car seat. He was so tired.

“Hey,” Dash began, sitting up straight. “I, uh, I was wondering. Well, the homecoming game is this Friday.”

Danny stared at Dash. Holy shit, was he going to ask him to watch him play at homecoming?

“I dunno if this is _weird_ or not, but, uh, maybe you could come watch me play? It’s fine if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” Danny said firmly. “I’ve seen you play before, Dash. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

It was unsettling how fast Dash’s heart was beating. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Danny repeated, giving him a small smile. “I’ll see you then.”

He wanted to kiss him. God, he wanted to kiss him. But he was already opening the door. He was already leaving.

It would have to wait. Until homecoming.

“Until then,” Dash said, and watched Danny Phantom disappear from sight for the second time that night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I post this 1 minute before my english 280 class starts  
> Hi! Sorry it took me so long to post this. I knew I said I'd do so quickly, and I literally had this chapter all written out and done and ready to be posted like a week ago but I just now found the time. I'm getting used to my class schedule and such. Plus, don't have internet at home.   
> Still no internet.  
> This thing was 10 pages long. My greatest work yet.   
> Also, I very much like the idea of Tucker and Kwan together. Even if Danny and Dash aren't together, Tucker and Kwan should always happen. love them  
> Thank you for reading! And for commenting! And for sticking with me! hmu anytime, in the comments, on tumblr, in your mind via random thoughts, whatever. Seriously though, I hope you enjoy my fic thus far!


End file.
